Imam dies after being shot outside US mosque

An imam has died after he was shot early Wednesday outside a mosque in Newark.

Hassan Sharif, the imam of Masjid Muhammed, was preparing to engage in the first of his daily prayers when an unidentified gunman approached him and opened fire outside the mosque around 6:15 a.m., near the intersection of Camden Street and South Orange Avenue, according to Newark police.

Sharif, who was shot twice, and rushed to University Hospital in critical condition. The imam was declared dead later on Wednesday, officials said.

A motive for the shooting remained unclear, but New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said that the shooting does not appear to be bias-motivated.

“The evidence collected thus far does not indicate that this was an act motivated by bias or an act of domestic terrorism,” Platkin said at a press conference Wednesday.

“And while we would ordinarily not go public with this type of information so early in our process, we know and I know that in light of global events and with a rise in violence directed at many communities… many in New Jersey are feeling a heightened sense of fear and anxiety at the news of this slaying.”

Essex County CrimeStoppers is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information on the slaying.

It was not known whether any students were inside the attached Clara Mohammad School-Newark at the time.

Sharif was listed among the 2022-2023 advisory board members for the mosque’s Social Services and Health Wellness program. He was the resident imam of Masjid Muhammad for about 5 years and was a community advocate who protested against gun violence.

New York Post